James Bunachanan

April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868
Political Party: Democrat Party
Terms in Office: (One Term) March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1861
Vice President: John Cabell Breckinridge

The American Identity
An identity is something that portrays a certain image towards those who stand to look. For America their identity had fallen partly on behave of the Presidence of James Buchanan in 1857. He left them in a state of panic, war, and rage which many took on as their portrayed image of America. There was a state of seperation between people that only had them urging for a fight to break away in the North and a seperate government in the South. Buchanan just used what he always had, the "look and see what happens" policy that left the American Identity to fix itself by the people which should be given a grade of a D for his efforts, if there were any in his part.

His proposed goals in the innaguaral address he presented to the people were par of a major issue: slavery. His achievements towards his goals were not accomplished or badly handled. His solution for the territory of Kansas was to let popular soveriegnty that Congress had given for the people to sort out the problem of wether to admit it as a free or slave state. The government in Kansas drafted the Lecompton Constitution which they were hoping would allow Kansas to be admitted as a slave state. Congress shot this propostition down due to some of the people had not agreed to this but Buchanan persisted for a second try to allow Kansas to finally become part of the states. It took him his entire term as a president to accomplish this.He had also stated that he would "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." South and the North were not understanding each other completely. The South mostly agricultural with a failing economy and a pro-slavery for people in that area against the industrialized anti-slavery North. Secession was a possible result during Buchanan's presidency and the Union to become split in half with a war ontop to worry as well.

Buchanan had a failed term in many people's opinion but not all was his fault. The relationship with Congress and its president is vital to have anything completed. Congress was not completely with Buchanan and in return bills were not passed. The majority party at the time were Democrats which was the same party that Buchanan was part of. There was a split in the party itself that arose many conflicts.












Works Cited


"American President: James Buchanan." Miller Center. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. http://millercenter.org/president/buchanan.

"James Buchanan." The White House. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jamesbuchanan.

"James Buchanan." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan.